PARIS If things had gone Arshad Nadeem's way, he would probably not have the shiny Olympic gold medal around his neck now.
As a young boy, the Pakistani dreamed of becoming a fast bowler in cricket. But that changed when he was talent-spotted at the age of 14 by javelin coach Rashid Ahmad Saqi.
In a recent interview with The Straits Times at Toyota Asia's Start Your Impossible night at ShangriLa Paris, Nadeem recalled how the javelin took him on a winning trajectory.
Speaking in Urdu through his coach Salman Butt, the 27-year-old said of his beginnings: "I am basically a cricket player, and have also played football at the local level.
My elder brother was an athlete and he introduced me to the javelin, he was sort of a decathlete.
"My childhood coach, Rashid Ahmad Saqi, motivated me, picked me up. He told me, 'you have good height, good attributes to become a good javelin thrower', and that's how I started." Cricket is the biggest sport in Pakistan, but Nadeem was eyeing a different path.
This story is from the September 17, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 17, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HORSEBACK FISHING ALIVE IN BELGIUM
A fisherman on horseback drags his net in the sea to catch grey shrimp in Oostduinkerke in Belgium in October.
K-pop star Jessi cleared of charges in case of fan assault
South Korea-based American singer-rapper Jessi has been cleared of all charges in the case of a fan assault that took place in front of her.
S'pore movies Wonderland and A Year Of No Significance selected for China film festival
Two made-in-Singapore movies have been selected to take part in the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
JJ Lin's concert tour to return to Singapore in December
Home-grown Mandopop star JJ Lin is set to return to Singapore's National Stadium on Dec 28 and 29 for the second leg of his JJ20 World Tour.
Three charged in Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony in October, the Argentine authorities said on Nov 7.
Looks like a lion, purrs like a pussycat
The two-door Mercedes-AMG CLE53 appears stout and aggressive, but is a friendly and easy-to-drive car
Dramatic electric roadster bolsters MG's street cred
The Cyberster is a two-seater convertible that mixes brawn and beauty as well as value and efficiency
V12 performance and looks define new Aston Martin Vanquish
After a six-year hiatus, the Aston Martin Vanquish returns as a meaner and bigger grand tourer.
Lively and sublime all-French concert by Red Dot Baroque
The Tastes Reunited comes from the French phrase Les Gouts-reunis coined by Baroque composer Francois Couperin, referring to a glorious unification of Italian virtuosity and dramatics with French elegance and restraint in musical performance.
Golden age for parks in America
Cities are sprucing up waterfronts, transforming abandoned industrial sites and bringing green space to neighbourhoods
